Eatery a deli by day — and a bistro by night
What to expect from the new Kraft Bistro & Deli in Fort Lauderdale
Diners may feel a bit topsyturvy if they visit the new Kraft Bistro & Deli at different times of day.
The restaurant, which opened June 1 in the former home of Brown Dog Eatery, serves New York-style soups, salads and sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then the eatery turns its focus to urban bistro fare, with barbecue hot off the smoker until 10 p.m.
Kraft Bistro & Deli owner Paul Hugo’s idea to create a part-deli, part-barbecue joint stemmed from what he believed the area was searching for. After a nearby TooJay’s closed and because of early operating hours at Pomperdale’s on Commercial Boulevard, he felt the community was in dire need of another deli.
Hugo could’ve committed to just a deli with bagels and matzah ball soup, but what he calls his longtime chef ’s cooking prowess convinced him to add a dinner menu, broadening Kraft’s appeal.
“If you walk into our restaurant and you can’t find something on our menu, then you’re not hungry,” Hugo says.
The menu includes fan favorites from previous restaurants and nightclubs Hugo has owned during his 41 years in Fort Lauderdale, including EAT and The Grille On The Drive, both in Wilton Manors, and Hugo’s Deli, which was open in the 1990s about two blocks away from Kraft Bistro’s current location. Many of the servers Hugo previously hired have also signed on to work at Kraft.
One of the popular returning dishes is the chicken Dijon ($21.75) on the dinner menu, which is a chicken breast medallion with roasted peppers, scallions, sherry and a Dijon mustard
sauce. The 10 ounce prime pork ribeye ($23.75), served with a cranberry reduction, is so tender it falls off the bone without a knife, Hugo says. Both entrees come with broccoli and potatoes.
All the deli recipes are brand new, including the Kraft salad, which has dates and a champagne-citrus vinaigrette, and the strawberry fields salad, which is drizzled with Key lime vinaigrette. Both cost $10.75.
“Everybody could put strawberries on top of a salad with goat cheese,” Hugo says. “I don’t want to give away trade secrets, but we’ve got ingredients that puts it a little bit over the top.”
Hugo wasn’t afraid to be particular about the tastes he wanted. For the deli sandwiches, he insisted on bread that was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. He couldn’t find any slices that met his standards, so Kraft Bistro bakes fresh rye bread daily.
“It doesn’t cost that much more to do it right,” Hugo says.
The sandwiches, which range from $8.75 to $12.75, contain smoked meats that Hugo taste-tested with friends and family for more than two weeks. Although Hugo believes the stuffed sandwiches should suffice, an overstuffed sandwich option is available that comes with a half pound of meat for $2 to $3 extra.
If the Kraft deli area — with cases that take up about one-third of the space — derives its style from a traditional New York deli, then the bistro side exudes a trendy, SoHo vibe with its open kitchen and liquor bar.
The focal point of the urban bistro menu is the Kraft feast, a dry-rub smoked meats sampler prepared for at least two people that costs $24.75 per person. The feast comes with andouille sausage, chicken, ribs, pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, French fries, coleslaw and corn on the cob.
“It’s a wow factor,” Hugo says. “We make sure everybody sees it when you’re walking by a table, because pictures just don’t do it justice.”
All of the meats are also served as platter dinners, which range in price from $16.75 to $24.75. The platters come with potatoes, French fries and corn on the cob or broccoli.
For dessert, Kraft Bistro offers a chocolate peanut butter mousse cake with thick, homemade chocolate icing and a shell of chocolate and graham crackers. Kraft’s carrot cake sits atop a generous caramel drizzle.
“It’s not your standard carrot cake,” says Pam Oliver, who had dinner at Kraft Bistro with her husband last week. “This was more moist, and it was really good.”
Oliver says she enjoyed her dinner of sesame crusted salmon ($24.75), which was paired with white rice and broccoli and had just the right amount of sweetness. Excellent service from an experienced waiter, the hospitable owner, the modern decoration and fair pricing also enhanced her experience.
Kraft Bistro is a “welcome addition to the neighborhood,” she says, and she’ll likely be back for a pastrami sandwich at lunchtime.
Hugo created the restaurant with customers in mind, and as the restaurant ages, he plans to continue adjusting based on what he would want as a customer.
“It’s a great location, I have a great chef, I have a great staff,” Hugo says. “We’ve got all the ingredients for it to be a huge success.”
Kraft Bistro & Deli is located at 2701 E. Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Visit kraftbistrodeli.com.